It was the Bubonic Plague of 1894 in Hongkong that caused subsequent intensive and world-wide research into the cause of the disease. In an earlier article I pointed out that no mention of rats, or fleas on rats, as potential carriers of the plague, is made in official reports. By 1903, however, it was definitely established that fleas on rats were the carriers of plague.
It read:
On September 13, 1894, the Hongkong Telegraph proudly carried a story headed "The End of the Plague". "At the present time, it may be stated without contradiction, that we have at last got to the end of the deadly plague that has ravaged this Colony and the city of Canton for months past. There are at the present time, about a dozen patients in the Kennedy Town plague depot, but they are all convalescent and will soon be discharged. Already the quarantine restrictions against vessels arriving from Canton and Hongkong have been rescinded in most parts of the world".
So much then for the plague, I now come to a much less sordid, but highly interesting phase of the epidemic - the bestowal of honours for services rendered.
On September 27, a public meeting, convened at the request of the Acting Chief Justice, Mr. E.J. Ackroyd was held in the City Hall to decide on what steps should be taken for recognising the services rendered to the community by volunteer workers. Sir William Robinson presided over a large gathering and read the first motion, standing in the name of Mr. Akroyd. It read: "That this meeting resolve that the services rendered to the community during the recent plague by those who assisted are worthy of public recognition."
In moving this motion, Mr. Akroyd gave a long review of the course taken by the plague and mentioned the following volunteers as worthy of special recognition: General Barker, for placing the resources of the military at the disposal of the civil authorities, in stamping out the disease; the Colonel, officers and men of the Shropshire Regiment; Lieut. Boyes, R.E., the first officer to volunteer for anti-plague work; Capt. Stewart, Lieut. Molesworth and Lieut. Kelsail, all of the Royal Engineers; Capt. Murray; Mr. May, Captain Superintendent of Police, for especially distinguished work; Mr. J.J. Francis, Q.C., who headed the special Committee formed by the Sanitary Board; the Sisters of the Government Civil Hospital; and the Colony's medical practitioners.
Mr. Akroyd referred with feeling to the death of Capt. Vesey, who gave his life in fighting the plague.
The motion submitted by Mr. Akroyd was carried, after which Mr. Jackson (later Sir Thomas Jackson), moved that the following committee be appointed for carrying the first resolution into effect: The acting Chief Justice, the acting Colonial Secretary, the acting Attorney-General, the acting Puisne Judge, Messrs. C.P. Chater, J.J. Keswick, Ho Kai, E.R. Belilios, J. Ross Anton, S.G. Bird, W. Blayney, A. Coxton, G. de Champeaux, H. Crawford, J.B. Coughtrie, H.L. Dennys, G.B. Dodwell, W. Danby, Fung Wa-chun, D. Gillies, J.H. Garrels, R.M. Gray, A. Hancock, C.J. Holliday, H. Hoppfus, Ho Tung,
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